Sacrifice
by thorsdiana
Summary: Lorna Parrish was one a highly respected detective of the NYPD, but after the Battle of New York, her life changed for the worst. A near-death experience resulted in her becoming a vessel for Hecate the Goddess of Magic. Hecate has managed to turn her life upside down, wrecking havoc, and her only hope of getting her life back is the Avengers. Will they succeed in freeing Lorna?


"You excited about spending the weekend with your dad?" The blonde asked her daughter. Her eyes wandered to the rearview mirror, glancing back at the brunette.

"Yeah! He said he was going to take me to the zoo," she replied. Lorna knew that there was something off. Her voice wasn't full of life like it usually was and she noticed how she was picking at her backpack.

"You're not excited?" She asked, brow furrowing. I thought you loved the zoo?"

"I do, but that's all we do. It gets boring after a while," she explained. "I've seen it all."

Lorna gently bit at her lip, trying to think of something else to say. She understood that Hope's father, Gabe, tried his best. He was constantly in Hope's life, but he didn't know Hope the way that she did. He had so little to go off of and with Hope's excitement about the zoo, he believes that its all he needed for her to have fun.

"Well, have you suggested that he'd do something else? Like maybe go to the movies? Or maybe even swimming? I know you've talked about wanting to learn," she suggested.

"Yeah, I guess we could try swimming," Hope agreed. Lorna reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone, and quickly entered her passcode before handing the phone to her daughter.

"Text your dad and see if he could take you. And make sure to mention that he'll have to take you shopping for a bathing suit since we're not stopping at home."

"Gotcha," the child replied.

Lorna found herself lucky. She was on good terms with her ex-boyfriend, which isn't always said for others in her position. She heard all types of horror stories about exes giving them trouble when it came to their child, but Gabe wasn't like that. He was a good guy and they shared joint custody of Hope, though she remained with Lorna for the most part.

"Sweetpea, are you-" Lorna was caught off when she watched in shock as the car ahead of her exploded and came flying at her. She yelled out a curse as she quickly swerved the car, trying her best to avoid the flying vehicle, but coming in quick contact with a pole.

The entire front of the silver Nissan Lorna had been driving was ruined, the front is divided in the center by the pole. Lorna had let out a pained groan, her attention immediately being put onto her daughter.

"Hope, honey, are you okay?" She asked, moving as quickly as she could to take off her seatbelt. She struggled to keep her eyes opened but noticed some blood on her daughter's head. Hope let out a pained groan and there was an odd sense of relief that rushed through Lorna.

 _She's conscious, she's alive. That's good._

Lorna struggled to open the door and got out of the wrecked car, looking above and into the sky. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched a giant hole that seemed to lead to space. But what really scared her was the weird things coming from the black hole.

She limped her way to the other side of the car, freeing her daughter from the seatbelt and wrapped the girl's legs around her hips, and grabbing her phone as well. She noticed the direction other New Yorkers were going and thought it was best to follow them. She felt her phone begin to vibrate and knew immediately who it was.

"Lorna, tell me you and Hope are okay!" Gabe's voice was comforting. Hearing him made Lorna believe he was safe, or at least alive. There were a few other explosions, Lorna made sure to keep her distance from the wreckage.

"We're fine, but it's crazy out here, Gabe."

"Where are you?"

"We're about five minutes from your place. Near that corner store, um," Lorna glanced over at the corner store she was approaching. The words were blurry, the letters moving around. It took her a few blinks before she was finally able to make out a word. "Sal's Kwik Korner."

"I'll be there as soon as I can,"

"No, Gabe. Don't come out. It's safer if you're at home. We'll-" Lorna couldn't finish her sentence before being interrupted by another explosion of a car. She held Hope's head closer to her body as she turned her back to take on the heat, while also silencing the girl's screams.

"I'm not leaving you and Hope to that mess. I'll be there shortly. Hide in the store until I get there, okay?" Lorna remained silent for a moment, trying to focus her attention on soothing her shaking child. "Lorna, please."

"I'll hide out there," she finally said. She hung up the phone and quickly made her way into the corner store, startling the owner. "I need shelter for a moment while I wait for my boyfriend to come get my daughter and me," she told him.

The man quickly nodded his head and allowed the too further in the back. Lorna placed her daughter down on a stool, her hands immediately grabbing for Hope's in her desperate attempt to sooth the young girl.

"Don't worry, Sweetpea. Daddy's gonna be here real soon and we'll okay," she whispered to her. Her hand moved to cup the girl's cheek, gently rubbing her thumb against her soft skin. "I'm here, we're safe." She pressed her lips against her temple, giving her daughter a soft kiss.

Even Lorna couldn't believe that they'd be safe. She didn't know what was going on. A giant black hole that led to space, and weird creatures coming out from it and wrecking havoc to New York.

"Do you know what's going on out there?" The store owner asked Lorna. She shook her head in response.

"One minute I'm driving and talking to my daughter, the next I'm dodging a car that blew up right in front of me. Then I see those weird aliens flying above and shooting down at us. I don't understand anything anymore."

"Are we going to die?" Hope finally asked.

"No, no, no sweetie we're not," Lorna assured her. She wiped at the few tears that were falling down her daughter's cheeks. "We're going to survive this, okay. And you're going to go swimming with your dad this weekend. And then I'll be here to pick you up on Sunday and do my god-awful elephant impression when it's time for bed."

The corner of Hope's lips curled up slightly, which Lorna returned. Truthfully, Lorna was scared. She was terrified of everything that was happening. But there was no way she'd let her daughter know this. She had to remain tough, for both Hope and her own sake.

Every time there was another explosion, Hope's grip on Lorna's hand tightened. But Lorna remained close at her side, trying to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. It seemed like forever until Lorna finally heard Gabe's voice.

"Lorna!" He called out. Lorna helped Hope down from the seat and the two rushed out the back room and as soon as Gabe saw Hope, he rushed to her and scooped her up into his arms. "Thank god you're okay," he sighed. He peppered her with kisses before bringing his attention onto Lorna.

"I've never been so glad to see you," Lorna sighed as she pulled Gabe into a tight hug. "We can make it to your place, right?"

"Yeah," Gabe nodded.

The two were careful as they made their way through the chaotic streets. They tried their best to avoid the sights of any of the aliens, but also tried to avoid the carnage that they brought. Luckily for them, they ran into a group of police officers who were barricading a section of the street.

"Excuse me, Detective Parrish," Lorna introduced herself. "What's with the lineup?"

"Captain America told us to keep a blockade on this section. To help other units get any other civilians," the officer explained.

There was suddenly another explosion that startled Lorna, but what really got her was the scream that came with it. Her attention was directed onto a woman who was being pulled away from the building, crying hysterically.

"My child is in there! I need to go back for my baby!" She yelled. But the officers weren't listening, and they refused to let her go back. They told her it was too dangerous for her.

Lorna couldn't sit back and watch this building get destroyed and witness a mother losing her child. As a person; as a mother, Lorna couldn't allow that. She couldn't imagine being told to forget about her daughter simply because it was too dangerous. She took a step forward but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Don't," Gabe said. Lorna's eyes were like daggers. Her jaw clenched and she shook her head.

"I can't just sit back and watch a mother lose her child," she told him. "Gabe, what if that was us and Hope was the child up there. You just expect me to sit back and do nothing?"

"Lorna," he warned. Their stares were harsh, but he eventually gave in. There was no arguing with Lorna. Once her mind was set, there was no changing it. "Promise me you'll make it out of there."

"I promise." She gave Hope another kiss on her forehead before rushing over to the woman, asking her what her child looked like. She made sure to mention that he was wearing dark denim jeans with a yellow striped shirt and that his name was Jonathan. Lorna rushed into the building, ignoring the warnings from the police.

The building was a complete disaster. The explosions caused to the building caused broken glass to be scattered all over the floor, some parts of the wall were missing, and even parts of the staircase was ruined. Along the way, Lorna passed other residents that were stuck in the building, but she told them the safest route to leave. She rushed up the stairs, calling out Jonathan's name. It wasn't until she reached the sixth floor when she heard a little boy's voice mixed with an older man's. She rushed over to a door and noticed fallen debris covering it. She quickly moved it out the way and opened the door, revealing the young boy and a man who appeared to have been around Lorna's age.

"Don't worry kid, you're safe now. Your mommy's waiting for you downstairs," she flashed him a brief smile. "Take him down there. I'll look for others." The man followed her orders and made his way down the hall while Lorna carried on. She heard another voice and rushed down the stairs. She banged on the door, calling out for whoever was on the other side of the door.

But she was cut off when there was a sudden explosion, knocking her against the wall behind her and causing the whole building to shake. Lorna was thrown to the ground, her body covered in burns and cuts, and she couldn't move her legs. She let out a pained groan, trying to find a way to breathe but it was becoming more and more difficult with each attempt.

She could faintly hear her phone ringing but she couldn't reach for it. She didn't even know where it was. Tears quickly formed in her eyes and they began to fall down the sides of her face.

 _I don't want to die._

She couldn't die. She couldn't leave behind her life; her daughter. She couldn't let Hope grow up without her. She couldn't miss her daughter going through her high school dances, her boy troubles, her graduation, any of it. Nor could she break her promise to Gabe. She said she'd be back.

Lorna couldn't process the figure in front of her. She could barely see it clearly, but she knew it was a person, maybe even a woman. She looked angelic, her face held this soft look, yet Lorna knew she was worried about something.

"I...don't want to die," Lorna coughed out. The woman reached out to touch Lorna, yet she could not feel anything. It was as if the woman's hand phased through her.

"I can save you, but all you have to do is let me in. Let me be in control and you will live."

"W-what?"

"Let me in, Lorna. Let yourself live, do it for your daughter." The figure moved closer, her hands hovering over Lorna's heart. "I can feel your heart failing. Allow me the permission to take control, and you shall live and become stronger than ever."

 _Promise me you'll make it out of there._

 _We're going to survive this._

The promises swirled in her mind. She promised them she'd live. She couldn't give up. She couldn't leave them, not when they needed her. Not when she promised. She coughed as she nodded her head.

"I allow you to take control," she gasped. "Please, save me."

There was a shift in the figure's face, but Lorna couldn't quite make out what it meant. All she knew is that when they reached for her, she felt a rip on her arm and her body felt as if it was on fire. She let out a loud gasp before everything faded.


End file.
